Hi Everyone,
What a beautiful day to work at PAR and/or your own
yard/garden. Workers today were Susan, Jamie, G.A., Mary Elizabeth, and a
surprise visit from Carl Wayne! The guys worked on the beds, and they are
really moving along. It's a tremendous job, but we won't have to worry about
replacing beds…ever. Thanks guys for all the backbreaking work.
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| Stacks of concrete blocks! |
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| Placing the blocks |
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| What a pretty sight! |
Susan and I finally got the muscadine planted. We won't be
able to expect a decent crop for three years though. It is self pollinating. I
got this plant at Russell's in Collierville, because it had muscadines on it
that I could taste test. They tasted just like concord grapes…yummy. Of course
the usual tough skin and seeds, but that is typical of a muscadine. We put up a
wire for it to climb on and pruned it back a lot. Not much to look at now, but
wait until it starts leafing out.
Mary Elizabeth and Susan planted the garlic chives that Pam
shared with us. They were planted at the ends of some of the beds. In addition
to being tasty and pretty, they are said to deter pests. Mary Elizabeth gave
the brussels sprouts a dose of fertilizer.
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| Mary Elizabeth and Susan with the garlic chives |
I checked the soil pH for the blueberry planting, and is is
around 6. We will have to get it down to at least 5. On our next workday we
will turn over the soil along the fence and add sulfur where we are going to
put the blueberries. On the other end we plan on planting raspberries. We have
some blackberries struggling on the back fence, which we need to move toward
the center where they can get more sun.
No workday next week, but plan to resume after New Years
Day--Thursday or Friday, weather permitting.
Below is a picture of the last of my garden tomatoes. They
have been ripening in paper bags, and these are the dregs. I was hoping I could
say we had garden tomatoes for Christmas dinner, but not quite….these are going
in a salad tomorrow.
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| The last of the tomatoes |
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas…and a safe one.
'Til later,
Dianne
